Nexnet

Understanding the issues – Central to the agency’s approach should be the ability to understand the consumer issues surrounding the branded goods or services you are trying to promote and knowing how to use them to best advantage. It’s one way in which a good agency can make stories appealing to otherwise cynical journalists, most of whom can spot from a distance any crude attempt at gaining a free puff, but who may not mind one being subtly wrapped in a well-crafted article about the issues.

Media relations – Look for an agency with core skills in news writing and media relations. You need expertise in maximising favourable coverage in the most relevant mass media. Make sure your chosen agency doesn’t confuse activity with action. You don’t want them to clock up fees chasing lost causes, or to waste time building coverage in media that misses your target audience. You want your agency to use time efficiently and effectively by focusing on the genuinely good opportunities for achieving relevant and valuable media exposure.

Sponsorship and other associations – What makes favourable editorial coverage so valuable is the perceived endorsement by editors and publishers that the story surrounding your brand is genuinely interesting to the public. Find out what other ways your PR agency can gain valuable third-party endorsement, such as through sponsorship or by forming other kinds of associations with celebrities or popular organisations and events.

Exploiting the internet – Find out whether your agency is keeping up to date with the continuously evolving PR opportunities for brand awareness and referral on the internet. Some of them are extremely powerful, and some of them are of little use. Check whether the consultants know enough to sort the wheat from the chaff and to make the most of the latest opportunities.

Direct consumer contact – Interacting directly with large numbers of consumers while they sample or become better informed about your brand can be an extremely valuable way of generating immediate sales and stimulating word-of-mouth referral. Opportunities to take part in exhibitions and sampling events are plentiful, but many can turn out to be a waste of time and money. Choosing the right opportunity to reach the right people in the right circumstances requires experience and expert knowledge.